WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 15, 2011) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) plans to issue a final ozone emissions standard by July 29. This will complete EPA’s reconsideration of the 2008 National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) for ozone.

American Chemistry Council (ACC) President & CEO Cal Dooley issued the following statement:

“EPA’s proposed ozone standard would be a roadblock to investment, expansion and new factories in nearly every county in the country, driving manufacturing overseas when our highest priority should be creating jobs here at home. This is particularly important for America’s chemistry industry, which is poised to generate hundreds of thousands of new jobs thanks to abundant supplies of domestic shale gas.

“Industry has significantly reduced ozone emissions over the past 20 years with state-of-the-art technology. In many cases, achieving EPA’s proposed ozone levels would require cutting production or closing facilities. We remain hopeful that President Obama and his Administration appreciate the dramatic consequences of the proposed standards for American jobs and will instead move forward with EPA’s yet-to-be-implemented 2008 ozone standard, which will enable emissions reductions while keeping America open for business.”